Roseanne Barr Is Not Impressed with 'The Conners' Premiere: 'I Ain't Dead, Bitches!'

Despite saying that she would be avoiding the premiere of "The Conners," Roseanne Barr popped up via social media shortly after the East Coast airing with a scathing statement and one-sentence tweet.

The full statement was released via her friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's Facebook page, and took issue with how ABC and the new show's writers chose to write the character of Roseanne off of the show.

"We regret that ABC chose to cancel 'Roseanne' by killing off the Roseanne Conner character," Barr and Boteach said in the statement attributed to both of them. "That it was done through an opioid overdose lent an unnecessary grim and morbid dimension to an otherwise happy family show. This was a choice the network did not have to make."

But while the statement spoke eloquently and thoughtfully about what happened with Barr and "Roseanne," the comedian was far more direct via Twitter.

Barr was fired from "Roseanne" after a racist tweet where she compared former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to "Planet of the Apes." She subsequently apologized, blamed the tweet on Ambien and explained that she thought Jarrett was white when she wrote the late-night tweet.

ABC reacted swiftly, cancelling the top-rated revival of "Roseanne" after a single season. Within a few weeks, though, Barr had worked out a deal whereby she would step away from the show and relinquish all financial rights to it so it could continue without her, saving the jobs of the 200 or so people involved. And thus, "The Conners" was born.

Barr and Boteach's statement went on to heap praise on "Roseanne's" long legacy of inclusion, diversity and tackling tough topics, while calling the network out for failing to explore "the most important lesson of all: forgiveness."

"After repeated and heartfelt apologies, the network was unwilling to look past a regrettable mistake, thereby denying the twin American values of both repentance and forgiveness," they said. "In a hyper-partisan climate, people will sometimes make the mistake of speaking with words that do not truly reflect who they are. However, it is the power of forgiveness that defines our humanity."

The statement concluded by saying that "our society needs to heal on many levels," and "Roseanne" could have been a part of that.

"What better way for healing than a shared moment, once a week, where we could have all enjoyed a compelling storyline featuring a witty character – a woman - who America connected with, not in spite of her flaws, but because of them," they concluded. "The cancellation of Roseanne is an opportunity squandered due in equal parts to fear, hubris, and a refusal to forgive."

The "Roseanne" revival was met with controversy from the moment it was announced, thanks to Barr's outspoken support of President Trump, and some of her more controversial statements and actions she'd made since the series first went off the air.

While both Barr and her character were liberal in the original incarnation, Barr brought her MAGA support into the show by having Roseanne Conner a Trump supporter as well, putting her at odds with many of the other cast members. Nevertheless, the show continued to preach inclusion and understanding and communication, even through differences.

But because of its overt political nature, and the outspoken political presence of its star, "Roseanne" became a bipartisan hot topic with every new episode and development. That trend has continued, with the premiere dividing Twitter pretty clearly down party lines, with MAGA supporters mostly decrying it without even watching it.

"The Conners" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com.